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With the adoption of The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN member states and partner organizations have agreed to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030. Building on the unfinished agendas of the Millennium Development Goals and Education for All, quality education and learning are at the very core of both SDG4 and CESA 16-25 (see box 1). Five of the seven SDG4 targets are specifically designed with the intention of addressing the global learning crisis. Moreover, CESA 16-25 specifically calls on African Union member states to address issues of quality and equity in education, particularly at the pre-primary level, a neglected area in terms of investment and policy, and at the primary level where geographical disparities indicate that girls and women, the poorest and those leaving in remote areas are still left behind. The next question is whether these international and regional commitments have been translated into national policies and strategies that can address the alarmingly low levels of learning.